inspire confidence

Inspire Confidence to Refer Youstring(31) "Inspire Confidence to Refer You"

September 23, 2019
, , , , Building Relationships, Credibility, Education, INSPIRE, Referrals, Relationships 2

When it comes to getting referrals from your network, the confidence others have in you is a vital component. None of them wants to risk their personal reputation by referring to a stranger. Until you inspire confidence that referring contacts to you won’t harm their reputation with their clients, associates, friends or family, you’re still a stranger. People won’t refer you if they feel you’re going to let them down.

Your profession matters to inspire confidence

The more significant the business being referred to is, the greater the risk to the referrer’s reputation. If you’re a florist, it may take only a week or two for people who try your services to recommend you on the basis of their experience with you. The risk associated with referring a florist is usually small unless you’re bidding on a large wedding that also might be your referrer’s top client. If you’re a financial advisor, it may take you six months or a year to reach the critical confidence level. However, since the stakes are higher, your referrer stands to gain more if the results are successful.

No matter what line of work you’re in, if you don’t perform well, your referrer will learn of it and you may not get another referral from that source.

Educate others about your business to inspire confidence

Don’t assume your fellow networkers understand your company or industry well enough to refer you confidently. You have to educate them and keep on educating them as long as you’re in business.

A networking group like BNI is ideal because everybody is expected to address the group at regular intervals. Make your presentation interesting and stimulating. Tell them how your product or service improves others. Each time you speak, present a new aspect of your business. Let your knowledge and eloquence persuade them that you’re very good at what you do. You will inspire confidence and your name will come to mind whenever a referral opportunity arises.

If you’re following these simple tactics, then you are well along the road to getting all the referrals from others’ networks that you deserve by inspiring confidence to refer you.

Support Material & Techniques for Increasing Referralsstring(59) "Support Material & Techniques for Increasing Referrals"

January 30, 2012
, , , , , , , , , Follow up, Marketing/Sales, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics, Referrals 2

If you’re not getting the amount of referrals you’d like to be getting, take a look at the support materials and techniques you’re currently using.  Below are some effective ways to influence people to refer you.  Some of these may not work for everyone.  The idea is to select those you think you can apply in your own business or profession.

Samples.  If you have an opportunity to distribute your materials, do it.  Bring products, samples, brochures, or a presentation book.  Many networking groups provide a brochure table where you can place these items.  If people can see, feel, touch, hear, or smell samples of the product or service you provide, they are more likely to use you.  Offer special, members-only prices or services.  If you can get network members to use you, then they are much more likely to refer you.

Presentation Books.  Everyone active in networking groups can benefit by developing a presentation book.  Buy a high-quality, three-ring binder that can attractively dislplay samples of  your products or services, brochures, photographs, etc.  Take this to your meetings and make sure it gets circulated.

Free Presentations or Demonstrations.  Many business professionals offer to speak free of charge to service clubs or business organizations as a way of getting exposure and promoting their business.  If your product or service is conducive to this approach, tell the members of your personal network that you offer this service, and accept speaking engagements as bona fide referrals.  Ask them to pitch you to the program chairs of organizations to which they belong.

If you’re well prepared and do a good job at these presentations, you may find yourself getting many more speaking offers and a lot of new business.  This technique is effective for almost any profession, but it’s particularly helpful for consultants, therapists, financial planners, CPAs, and attorneys.

Door Prizes.  Smart business professionals know that people who have tried their products or services will probably use them again.  I highly recommend that you offer door prizes regularly at your networking groups and ensure that you are given credit for the door prize when it’s given.  Always attach a business card so the winner knows where to get more.

Keep in Touch Regularly.  Meet people outside of the normal meetings that you go to whenever you can.  Write cards or letters, send articles that might be of interest, call to check in, let them know about a local business mixer, have lunch, play racquetball, tennis, or golf.  Reinforce the relationship with a thank-you note.  If someone gives you a referral or important information, send a thank-you note or gift basket.  This reinforcement will strengthen the bond and encourage that person to think of  you again.

Follow-Up.  Knowing how to get referrals is really a matter of knowing how to be helpful to the people you associate with and how to ask for help in return.  A successful referral marketing program involves creating an effective support system for yourself that also works to the advantage of others.

All the networking in the world, however, serves no purpose if you don’t follow up effectively with the people you meet or who are referred to you.  I’ve seen people who work hard at making contacts, but whose follow-up was so bad that the contacts were lost.  It’s as if they networked halfway and then completely lost sight of the potential to generate business by referral.  Follow-up letters and phone calls set the stage for further contact.  All things being equal, the more you’re in contact with others, the more business you’ll generate.  Today, more than ever, there’s no excuse for not following up.  Why?  Because there are many companies on the market that produce numerous follow-up cards, thank-you cards, and contact cards especially designed for networking.

Schedule “reconnection calls” regularly.  Such calls enable you to remind the new contacts who you are, where you met them, and what you do, as well as help you stay in touch with your long-term contacts.  If you don’t follow up with a phone call or letter, you will surely lose many business opportunities.

 

 

 

Getting to the Referral Stage with a New Contactstring(48) "Getting to the Referral Stage with a New Contact"

January 9, 2012
, , , , , , , Building Relationships, Connections, Credibility, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics, Referrals, VCP Process 6

People often ask me how to move a relationship with someone they just met to the point where the new contact feels comfortable passing them a referral.

I always say that the best way to get to this next referral-passing stage depends in part on how you came into contact with a person in the first place.  Let’s say you met while giving a brief presentation to a group of people who are in your target market.  Assuming you did a good job, then you absolutely have the possibility of receiving a referral, even though you just met.  Why? Because the presentation moved you from visibility to credibility in the new contact’s mind and now they’re probably willing to risk their reputation and recommend you to someone they know.

The same thing is true when you’re out networking.  If you have a good conversation with someone and truly add value to the conversation, then moving from visibility to credibility isn’t that difficult, and you’ll be in great shape for getting some referral-based business.  What’s more, it’s not terribly important whether the person is someone you might do business with directly.  Even if your businesses don’t match up, the other person might have information that’s useful or might know other people you’d like to get in contact with.  It’s often worthwhile to develop a networking relationship with people who have little in common with you because they can bring an entirely new network into contact with yours and broaden your business horizons.

Just bear in mind that even if there is a strong possibility that you’re going to do business with this new contact, it’s probably not going to happen there at the networking event, where conversations last anywhere from an eye-blink three minutes to a long-winded seven.  Instant business is not likely to be had.  But if you follow up with a quick note a few days later, you can make some one-to-one time and come up with ways the two of you can help each other.  That meeting is where you’ll have your best opportunity for a quick referral.

What has your experience been with moving to the referral stage with new contacts–do you have a tactic that seems to be particularly effective?  If so, please share it in the comments section.

 

“Money on the Table”–How to Generate More Referrals for Networking Partnersstring(93) "“Money on the Table”–How to Generate More Referrals for Networking Partners"

June 23, 2011
, , , , , , Author, Book, Collaboration, Educational Resources, Ivan Misner, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics, Referrals, Social Capital, Video Blog, Word of Mouth 2

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GpIfb-ymqU[/tube]

If you’re not familiar with Power Teams or Contact Spheres, they are two things that any networker aiming for maximum networking results will want to get very familiar with.

I have just released a new book with my co-author, Lee Abraham, called Money on the Table which is all about how to use Power Teams and Contact Spheres to generate more referrals for your networking partners.  Why should you take the time to learn how to get more referrals for those in your network?  Because this will ultimately pay off in more referrals for you and maximum results for your networking efforts.

In this short video, Lee and I talk a little bit about our new book and why we wrote it and we also explain a simple, quick exercise that will get you on the road to making the most of your network and generating more referrals for you and your networking partners.  So, grab a sheet of paper and a pen before clicking the play button–there are six bullet points you’ll definitely want to jot down.

After you’ve watched the video and done the quick networking exercise, come back and leave us a comment about what you thought of it.  We’d love to hear your thoughts!

To purchase a copy of Money on the Table, CLICK HERE.